Fiamma Lift-77 on a Lunar Champ

Hi Driver Pete. I had exactly the same concern as you. I emailed RoadPro and Andy Harris recommended a system that is fixed to the chassis and not the back wall of my motorhome. It will easily take the weight of our 2 electric bikes and doesn't risk any damage to the rear wall. I keep the batteries in the motorhome garage when not in use and have installed a power point so that they can be charged on a timer when not in use. The rack folds flat if you decide not to carry the bikes with you. The rails that the bikes rest on is about knee high off the ground which makes lifting the bikes on and off much easier. That's a big bonus as far as I'm concerned. The system can also be transferred to another motorhome if you decide to change vehicle. Might be worth contacting RoadPro for a quote and to see if the system would be suitable for you? I'm very pleased with it and it caused no problem when touring France earlier this year.

Can you give a rough idea of cost of the Road Pro ones as clearly they will be more expensive than a Fiamma bike rake. AlKo also have a range of Sawiko bike carriers which I think cost about £1300. Been wondering whether that might be the way forward. Saw one in Austria, see picture below.

David

doesn't the Sawiko need an Al-KO chassis to slot into?

im not sure the Champ would be built on an AL-KO.

a low set towball mounted Thule (or similar) would look, and work, pretty much lile the Sawiko. 

of course, a towball (and fitments) has to be fitted.

Why will your E bikes not fit on the standard rack?  are they not the profile of most cycles?

Thanks for the quick reply. It's just the weight. The fitted rails are around 3 feet off the ground and a bit of a struggle for heavy e-bikes, even with the batteries taken out.

..If they are that heavy check what a rack will take, and the fixings on the M/van,as i think most racks are 30kg max and some a lot less

Write your comments here...not necessarily, both of my fiamma racks which were already fitted had a 60kg max weight limit. All depends on the type, and that the mounting points can take the weight. I had a large fiamma rear box on mine, nearly always loaded to max weight. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqBeqiWr6Pw

Memo M-Star 25300 Foldable Motorhome Bike Rack

In reply to David Klyne's question about cost with regards to the foldable motorhome bike rack supplied by RoadPro I can confirm that I paid approx £1140 in January 2016. That price includes a reinforcement kit costing £256.50 and installation of £240. I drove to RoadPro's premises in Daventry and they let me have a free loan car for the day whilst they fitted the system. It took most of the day to complete all the wiring etc. The maximum payload is 75Kg which is more than ample for what I need. My decision to have a chassis mounted system was largely based on the uncertainty of suitable fixing points on the rear of my motorhome and a fear of 2 heavy bikes causing serious damage to the rear panel over a period of time. The margins of error were too close for comfort for me personally. That, combined with the low level loading, were what convinced me to go for this system over the other options. Not the cheapest option but I'm really pleased with the decision I made. The rack is robust, solid, transferrable and folds flat if not needed. I understand the system is imported from The Netherlands and with the current exchange rate the price may well have gone up somewhat. A link to a utube video showing the rack appears at the top of my comments. Hopefully you will find it useful.

Allyns

Thanks for the extra information, most useful. Road Pro loaned us a car when we had our satellite dish fitted there.

David